Editing History of Mario

 

As Mario is a recurring main protagonist of a large and major video gaming franchise, his history spans decades of media primarily in video games, but it also includes cartoons, books, and miscellaneous promotional materials.

 

[[File:Stork and Babies Artwork - Yoshi's New Island.png|thumb|150px|The ''Yoshi's Island'' games show Mario and Luigi's twin births through a stork delivery, a {{wp|White stork#Storks and delivery of babies|reference to European folklore}}.]]

''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'' depicts Mario's beginnings by delivery of a [[stork]] at nearly the same time as Luigi, suggesting a twin birth. ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'' is usually considered as one of the first media chronologically in Mario's history, but a few other sources, usually older than ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'', depict different beginnings. In ''[[Super Mario Momotarō]]'', for instance, two elderly [[Hammer Bro]]thers have found and raised Mario, who emerged out of a peach that has fallen from the sky. Mario here resembles his older self, although smaller and without a cap. The story in ''Super Mario Momotarō'', however, is a retelling of a popular Japanese fairy tale and may have no actual bearing on Mario's history. The ''[[Nintendo Comics System]]'' comic entitled "[[Family Album "The Early Years"]]" is another early medium that depicts Mario's childhood. According to it, Mario has taken an early interest in plumbing, although frequently misbehaving, such as making his father's pipe emit bubbles instead of smoke. Mario is also adept at sports, scoring home runs in his neighborhood softball team. Mario at birth is shown to have full hair on the head and facial stubble that quickly became a mustache. The comic also depicts Luigi as several years younger than Mario, whereas he is depicted as Mario's younger twin in the video games. ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' is a later portrayal of Mario's childhood from Brooklyn. Family portraits and dialogue indicate that they attended high school and graduated. From Mario and Luigi's room, Mario's hobbies include playing sports, playing retro video games, and collecting retro video game memorabilia. Before working as plumbers, Mario and Luigi worked in a construction company with [[Foreman Spike|Spike]] as their boss.

[[File:Donkey Kong Arcade 25m Screenshot.png|thumb|Mario in the first level of the arcade version of ''Donkey Kong'', [[25m]].]]

In ''Donkey Kong'', Mario is a carpenter who needs to rescue his girlfriend, [[Pauline|Lady]], from [[Donkey Kong]] at a [[Construction Site|construction site]]. Mario can [[jump]] over obstacles such as the [[barrel]]s Donkey Kong throws, or Mario can use [[hammer]]s to destroy the barrels and defeat other enemies. After defeating Donkey Kong in the [[100m|final level]], Mario is reunited with Lady.

In the [[Game & Watch]] version of ''[[Donkey Kong (Game & Watch)|Donkey Kong]]'', the objective is the same as in the arcade version, but Mario must trigger a lever, which causes a hook to appear. If Mario grabs the hook, a peg is removed and he is transported to the starting point. If Mario misses, he falls and loses a life. If Mario removes all the pegs, he defeats Donkey Kong.

In ''[[Donkey Kong Jr. (game)|Donkey Kong Jr.]]'', Mario appears as the antagonist, having captured Donkey Kong and holding him in a cage, with the protagonist of the game being Donkey Kong's son, [[Donkey Kong Jr.]] As Donkey Kong Jr. moves through the levels, Mario sends out enemies like [[Snapjaw]]s, [[Nitpicker]]s, and other obstacles to stop him. After Donkey Kong Jr. rescues Donkey Kong in the final level, Mario falls and is defeated. In the arcade version, Mario regains consciousness and attempts to pursue the pair, only to be sent running away by a kick by the elder Donkey Kong.

Mario appears as the antagonist in ''[[Donkey Kong Circus]]''. Mario is an audience member who laughs at Donkey Kong whenever he drops a [[pineapple]] or grabs a [[Fireball (Donkey Kong)|fireball]] by mistake. The Circus seems to be at the construction site where the first game begins, based on the girder-like platform Mario stands on.

Mario appears in the game ''[[Donkey Kong Hockey]]'' as the protagonist. His hockey shot is less powerful than Donkey Kong's, but it has more range.{{ref needed}}

Mario makes a later appearance in the ''Donkey Kong'' series with a new appearance in ''[[Donkey Kong (Game Boy)|Donkey Kong]]'' for the [[Game Boy]]. Along with the original four ''Donkey Kong'' levels, Mario has to travel through an additional nine worlds to rescue Pauline. Mario can also perform additional acrobatic maneuvers that can assist him in navigating through levels.

Mario can perform a [[handstand]] move, which protects him from any objects falling on him from above. From the handstand position, Mario can also perform the Handstand Jump. The game also features the [[backflip]] as well as [[rope|wire]]s on which Mario can [[Wire Spin|wire-spin]] and jump to catapult himself high in the air. Another essential part of Mario's moveset, taken from ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', is his ability to pick up enemies and objects and lift them over his head to throw them. This is also one of the few ''Mario'' games in which Mario takes damage and can lose a life from a high fall.

The ending of the game shows Mario holding Donkey Kong above his head (with Donkey Kong yelling, "HELP!") as [[Donkey Kong Jr.]] is standing to the left of him. To the right is what appears to be the start of [[World 1-1 (Super Mario Bros.)|World 1-1]] from ''Super Mario Bros.'' This foreshadows the events of both ''[[Donkey Kong Jr. (game)|Donkey Kong Jr.]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''

In a series of [[Donkey Kong (coloring/activity books)|activity books]] from 1982–1983, little Mario the carpenter appears as a hapless, balding, middle-aged employee at Video Land Amusement Park. He is in love with the much younger Pauline, but is unable to express it. He sets off to rescue Pauline after Donkey Kong breaks free from his cage and kidnaps her.

[[File:SceneGW2.png|thumb|left|Mario and other ''Mario'' characters from ''[[Game & Watch Gallery 2]]'']]

In ''Mario Bros.'' (which is unrelated to the [[Mario Bros. (game)|arcade game of the same name]]), Mario and the newly introduced [[Luigi]] must cooperate and put pallets of bottles on a delivery truck. They have to use conveyor belts to send the package to each other. If they drop a pallet, their boss yells at them. If they drop three pallets, the game is over. In ''[[Game & Watch Gallery 3]]'' and in ''[[Game & Watch Gallery 4]]'', [[Wario]] is the boss and [[Bowser]] periodically reverses the conveyor belt directions. [[Cake]]s replace pallets in the game.

In ''Mario's Cement Factory'', Mario must move cement from hoppers into cement trucks by putting them on conveyor belts. The hoppers can hold only three loads of cement. If a hopper overflows, some cement can land on a worker, making Mario lose a life. Mario can move by using an elevator, but if he moves when the elevator is not there, he falls and loses a life. If Mario stays in the elevator for too long, he can be crushed or can touch the very bottom, losing a life either way; there are safe zones to circumvent this. In the remake in ''Game & Watch Gallery 4'', [[Yoshi]] and [[Toad]] appear as background characters. A [[Boo]] can appear and interfere with the work. Mario can fall from the elevator, but when he touches the bottom ground, he gets a miss.

In the Modern games of ''Game & Watch Gallery'' remakes, Mario also takes some roles previously taken by other characters. Other times, he is a non-playable character. In ''[[Fire (Game & Watch)|Fire]]'', for instance, he and Luigi rescue Toads, Yoshis, and Donkey Kong Jrs. from a fire. In another example, in ''[[Chef]]'', Peach must cooperate with Mario and Luigi to feed Yoshi. Mario and Luigi throw the food, and Peach can catch it in her pan.

After ''Donkey Kong Jr.'', Mario's next arcade appearance is ''[[Mario Bros. (game)|Mario Bros.]]'' in 1983. Only Mario's physical appearance is taken from earlier titles; Mario is now a plumber in the sewers of [[New York City|New York]]<ref>Porges, Seth (October 19, 2009). [https://web.archive.org/web/20091022053804/https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4334387.html Exclusive Interview With Nintendo Gaming Mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto]. [http://www.popularmechanics.com/ Popular Mechanics]. Retrieved November 25, 2009.</ref><ref name=Snider>Snider, Mike (November 08, 2010). [http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/11/qa-mario-creator-shigeru-miyamoto/1 Q&A: 'Mario' creator Shigeru Miyamoto]. ''USA Today''. Retrieved March 25, 2016.</ref> ([[Mario Bros.' House|his house]] according to Atari<ref>"''Mario the carpenter and his brother Luigi{{hover| <nowiki/>|* [2600/5200]}}are hopping mad! The water pipes in their house are blocked with{{hover| <nowiki/>|nests of [2600] / pesky [7800/8-bit]}}crawling creatures. If the two brothers can’t get rid of them{{hover| <nowiki/>|, [5200/7800/8-bit]}}they’ll never take a bath again!''" - ''Mario Bros.'' Atari game manual, first page.</ref>) and fights an endless number of creatures, such as [[Shellcreeper]]s and [[Sidestepper]]s. Unlike in later games, Mario cannot jump on enemies. Instead, he must jump against the ceiling of a platform from below to stun all enemies walking on top of it. When Mario approaches the stunned enemies, he kicks them out of the screen, rendering them defeated. In the two-player mode, the second player plays as [[Luigi]], here portrayed as a green palette swap of Mario.

Mario shoots at Koopas and various other enemies in ''[[Mario Clash]]'', a game for the [[Virtual Boy]]. Mario has to knock enemies away with [[Koopa Shells]] at the side. The game's gameplay is similar to the style of ''Mario Bros.'', but Luigi is absent.

Mario makes his first appearance in a television show in the ''Donkey Kong'' segments of ''[[Saturday Supercade]]'', which. In the show, he was an apparent circus owner along with Pauline who worked as an animal trainer. [[Donkey Kong]] escapes from the circus and Mario and Pauline are always on the loose to capture him. They go through many adventures where Donkey Kong gets himself involved in many situations and Mario and Pauline try to help make things right.

The first time Mario appeared in any sports game was in ''[[Golf]]'' where his proportions are more realistic. In Japanese versions of ''Golf'', ''[[Captain Rainbow]]'' would later identify the character as a more generic ''Ossan'' (although this was one of Mario's initial names during development of ''Donkey Kong'').

The [[Family BASIC]] is an accessory to the [[Family Computer]] that lets users program their own games. Mario is one of the available sprites. In Family BASIC V3, he appears in two mini-games, one of which he is a controllable character.

Unlike their Japan-only sequel, ''Wrecking Crew '98'', these games have no specific plot.

In ''[[Wrecking Crew '98]]'', Mario finds the Mushroom Kingdom covered with [[Bowser]]'s new high-rises. Foreman Spike also makes a reappearance, along with several other enemies from ''Wrecking Crew'', this time helping Bowser. These buildings negatively impact the Mushroom Kingdom's environment, so Mario must demolish these structures.

In ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', Mario arrives in the [[Mushroom Kingdom]], where his objective is to rescue [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] from [[Bowser]]. Mario can gain power-ups and coins from jumping against [[? Block]]s and [[Brick Block]]s. Mario begins the game as [[Small Mario]], who loses a life from any enemy attack. By using [[Super Mushroom]]s, Mario grows into [[Super Mario (form)|Super Mario]], who has an additional hit point (reverting to Small Mario after being hit). Super Mario has access to the [[Fire Flower]], which lets him throw [[fireball]]s that can knock out enemies. Mario can also become invincible for a short amount of time with the [[Super Star|Starman]].

Mario appears in ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', the sequel of ''Super Mario Bros.'', with the same role as in the original game. Mario's traction and jumping height remain the same, while those of Luigi are changed to differentiate him more from Mario. Luigi jumps higher than Mario but has less traction. This would be a distinguishing feature used in future games.

In ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' and its [[reissue]], ''[[Super Mario Advance]]'', Mario is a well-balanced character with no special abilities. The gameplay of the two games is different from other ''Mario'' titles: Enemies can no longer be defeated by stomping them, and Mario gains the power to pick up enemies, lift them over his head, and throw them.

In the story, based on the Japanese game ''[[Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic]]'', Mario has experienced a dream one night. The [[Subcon (species)|fairylike beings]] from the land of [[Subcon]] inform him that [[Wart]] has taken over the land of Subcon and that they need Mario's help to defeat Wart. After awakening from his dream, however, Mario dismisses the dream and returns to sleep. The next day, Mario, along with Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and [[Toad]], decides to go on a picnic. While searching for a proper place, they notice a cave and decide to explore within it. After entering the cave, the four of them are transported to Subcon. Mario remembers his dream, and they decide to save Subcon from Wart and the [[8 bits]].

{{quote|BS Sūpā Mario USA! Pāwā Charenji!|Mario|BS Super Mario USA}}

Mario reappears in the spiritual sequel of ''Super Mario Bros. 2'', ''[[BS Super Mario USA]]'', retaining his characteristics of being well balanced. While the four heroes celebrate their victory after the events ''Super Mario Bros. 2'', Mario is seen to be awakening during the end of the game, implying the message that the whole adventure is simply a part of Mario's dream. ''BS Super Mario USA'' explains that Subcon is a dream world, and, while Mario and the others initially thought it is all a dream, they learn the truth about the realm when they are called back into the world to save it from Wart again. They must collect Gold Mario Statues in each level, defeat the boss, and find Wart.

====''Super Mario Bros. 3'' / ''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3''====

In ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' and its [[Game Boy Advance]] reissue, ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', after Bowser has invaded again, Mario and Luigi travel through eight kingdoms, in which the [[kings]] have been transformed into different creatures by the seven [[Koopalings]]. During Mario's quest, he is repeatedly sent [[letter]]s by Princess Toadstool, who encloses power-ups for him. Eventually, Toadstool is kidnapped, but the Mario Bros. save her from Bowser in the [[Dark Land]]. ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' introduces several new power-ups that Mario can now use in addition to the Fire Flower, including the [[Super Leaf]], [[Tanooki Suit]], [[Frog Suit]], [[Hammer Suit]], and [[Goomba's Shoe]].

In ''[[Super Mario Land]]'', Mario travels to [[Sarasaland]] to rescue the land's princess, [[Princess Daisy|Daisy]], from the alien [[Tatanga]]. Mario's powers in the game are limited to [[Superball Mario]], in which he can shoot balls that ricochet off walls, as well as the [[Marine Pop]] (a submarine) and the [[Sky Pop]] (an airplane), each in a special auto-scrolling stage. When he rescues Princess Daisy, the two fly off in a spaceship.

[[File:Mario and Yoshi SMW.png|thumb|[[Cape Mario|Caped Mario]] and [[Yoshi]]]]

''[[Super Mario World]]'' and its reissue, ''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]'', introduce [[Yoshi]] as a sidekick character to Mario. Mario can ride [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshis]] and so gain varying new powers. Mario meets Yoshi on a holiday in [[Dinosaur Land]], where Bowser kidnaps Toadstool again, forcing Mario and Luigi to rescue her once again. ''Super Mario World'' is the first ''Mario'' game to have a second jump button for a different jump—the [[Spin Jump]]—with which Super Mario can destroy [[Rotating Block]]s from above or jump off Yoshi's back; he can also use it to avoid certain obstacles or defeat foes. Mario can use [[Cape Feather]]s to turn into [[Cape Mario|Caped Mario]], allowing him to take off from the ground and stay in the air for quite a while. Mario can also use [[Grab Block]]s and throw them at enemies or obstacles.

''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]'' introduces a new antagonist to Mario named [[Wario]]. Wario usurps [[Mario's castle]] while Mario rescues Princess Daisy in Sarasaland (the events of ''Super Mario Land''). The player's objective here is to regain control of Mario's castle. Mario gains more power-ups this time, including the [[Fire Flower]] and the [[Carrot]]. The Fire form has a slightly different appearance; Mario wears a small feather on his cap. The Carrot transforms Mario into [[Bunny Mario]], which allows him to slow his descent or hover. Mario encounters several enemies and bosses by traveling through zones rather than worlds. When he finally reaches Wario, Wario attempts to use power-ups transforming him into {{conjectural|Fire Wario}} and {{conjectural|Bunny Wario}}, but Mario eventually prevails and takes his castle back.

{{multiple image|align=left|direction=horizontal|width1=110|width2=143|footer=Artwork of Mario for ''Super Mario 64'' (left) and his updated appearance in ''Super Mario 64 DS'' (right)|image1=Mario smiling SM64 artwork.png|image2=Mario SM64DS art.png}}

In ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', Mario is invited to have a [[cake]] with Princess Peach at the [[Peach's Castle|Mushroom Castle]], but he finds the castle taken over and Peach kidnapped by Bowser. In order to save Peach, Mario has to collect the castle's [[Power Star]]s to advance and defeat Bowser. Mario utilizes a larger variety of jumps and maneuvers, such as the [[Backward Somersault]], the [[Side Somersault]], and the [[Wall Jump|Wall Kick]], and while he can stomp enemies, he can also attack them by punching and kicking.

In the game's remake, ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]'', Mario is an unlockable character. He is invited to the Mushroom Castle for cake, along with [[Wario]] and [[Luigi]]. However, some time after they enter, Bowser overtakes the castle. The three are thrown behind locked doors, with Mario being sealed away by [[Goomboss]], who keeps the key to his door. Yoshi can unlock Mario's door once he defeats Goomboss. Mario is required to rescue Luigi. The player also needs Mario to complete the game, as he is the only character that Bowser allows to enter the [[Bowser in the Sky|final level]] to rescue Princess Peach. Mario has good stats, with decent power and swimming, the best speed, and, by extension, the best jump height and distance (excluding Luigi's Backward Somersault). His special ability is the balloon-floating power gained by the [[Power Flower (Super Mario 64 DS)|Power Flower]]. Mario can also use the feather, the remake equivalent of the [[Wing Cap]], which gives him more special abilities than the other characters. Mario is also the only character that can wall-jump. Other characters can transform into Mario, gaining his appearance but not his voice, by putting on [[Mario Cap|Mario's cap]]. Mario can transform into Luigi and Wario this way but not into Yoshi.

Mario appears in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'', where he needs to save Princess Peach from [[Shadow Mario]] with the help of a new machine called [[F.L.U.D.D.|FLUDD]]. Mario can spray water at enemies and clear [[goop]]; the Expansion Nozzles for FLUDD can make Mario hover in the air for a short while, make him run at a turbo speed, or rocket him high in the air, although Mario can hold only one Expansion Nozzle at a time. Water for FLUDD can be refilled at any body of water in the game or with [[Water Bottle]]s. Mario can also ride Yoshis. In the secret levels of the game, Shadow Mario takes FLUDD away from Mario, leaving him with only his basic jumping abilities and the [[Ground Pound]] to beat the stage. When Mario loses his cap in ''Super Mario Sunshine'', he takes damage from the sun.

====''New Super Mario Bros.''====

''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'' depicts Mario in a similar plotline and game design to ''Super Mario Bros.'', having to save Princess Peach once again from [[Bowser]]. The traditional [[Super Mushroom]] and [[Fire Flower]] return, but power-ups also include further size-changing effects induced by the [[Mega Mushroom]] and the [[Mini Mushroom]]. The Mega Mushroom lets Mario grow to a giant size, allowing him to crush all enemies and obstacles such as [[Warp Pipe|pipes]], while the Mini Mushroom has Mario shrink to a tiny size, which gives him access to [[small pipe]]s.

Throughout the game, Mario has the option to travel through eight worlds or bypass a few. Mario first faces Bowser at the first of the eight castles, where Mario presses a switch, causing Bowser to fall into the lava. However, Bowser survives as a skeletal version of himself, known as [[Dry Bowser]]. Dry Bowser is fought again in the eighth castle, although he is defeated.  

{{quote|Welcome! Welcome, new galaxy!|Mario|Super Mario Galaxy}}

Mario appears again as the main protagonist of ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', having to save Princess Peach after she was kidnapped by Bowser during the [[Star Festival]]. Most of the jumping mechanics present in ''Super Mario 64'' return, such as the long jump and the backward somersault. New powers include the Star Spin and the [[Star Pointer]], which can be controlled independently from Mario. The Star Pointer can shoot enemies or grab [[Star Bit]]s without controlling Mario. Additionally, Mario can get assistance by another player in Co-Star Mode, who can help gather Star Bits, shoot Star Bits, stun enemies, and assist in his jumping. Finally, Mario can find new sets of temporary power-ups that aid him in completing levels, providing him with new abilities, including but not limited to the [[Bee Mushroom]], the [[Boo Mushroom]], the [[Ice Flower]], and the [[Spring Mushroom]].

{{quote|New Super Mario Brothers... Wii-hee!|Mario|New Super Mario Bros. Wii}}

Mario's role and basic abilities in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' remain the same as in its [[New Super Mario Bros.|predecessor]], although there are a few added power-ups, such as the [[Propeller Mushroom]] and the [[Penguin Suit]]. The story, while still basic, is slightly different—in the cutscene at the beginning of the game, Mario, Luigi, and many Toads, including [[Blue Toad (character)|Blue Toad]] and [[Yellow Toad (New Super Mario Bros. series)|Yellow Toad]], are celebrating [[Princess Peach]]'s birthday when a cake suddenly walks into the castle. When Peach moves closer to the cake, [[Bowser Jr.]] and the Koopalings jump out of the cake and throw it onto Peach. Mario, Luigi, and the Toads then give chase, and Mario once again fights his way through eight worlds in his attempt to rescue Peach. After Mario rescues Princess Peach, the princess tells Mario about secret World 9, extending his adventure.  

''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'' has Mario involved as the main protagonist once again, following a more simplistic form of the original game's story. Aside from additional power-ups and the addition of Yoshi, the gameplay is also identical to the first ''Super Mario Galaxy'' game.

In''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'' Bowser kidnaps Peach while she checks the damage to a [[Tail Tree]]. Mario and the Toads then follow to try to rescue her. During the adventure, Mario battles several enemies old and new, including [[Boom Boom]] and [[Pom Pom]]. While running through the worlds, Mario receives letters from Peach to learn about her situation. Mario's adventure is a throwback to the classic 2D ''Super Mario'' adventures, relying on power-ups and his jumping to successfully clear levels, but merged with the 3D gameplay of later games as a new feature. He uses several classic power-ups, notably the [[Tanooki Suit]] from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''. Unlike in older games, however, his default form is his Super form; whenever he loses a life, he restarts in this form rather than his Small form. His new abilities include rolling, which can break blocks if he is in Super form. He also has a few of his jumps from the 3D games, including the Long Jump, the Crouch Jump (which works like the Backward Somersault), and the Side Somersault.

Mario once again appears as the main protagonist of ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]''. In this game, [[Gold Mario]] (as well as the [[Gold Flower]]) is introduced as Mario's newest form. In this form, he can throw fireballs that transform solid objects (blocks) into coins for him to collect. It is also the introduction of [[White Raccoon Mario]], a form obtainable from [[Invincibility Leaf|Invincibility Leaves]] gotten from [[Assist Block]]s. The form gives Mario the power of invincibility and all of the abilities of Raccoon Mario.

[[File:NSMBU Four Characters Jumping Artwork.png|thumb|Mario jumping together with [[Luigi]], [[Yellow Toad (New Super Mario Bros. series)|Yellow Toad]], and [[Blue Toad (character)|Blue Toad]] in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'']]

Mario appears again as the protagonist in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''. Once again, he must save the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser and his minions as he travels with his allies [[Luigi]], [[Blue Toad (character)|Blue Toad]], [[Yellow Toad (New Super Mario Bros. series)|Yellow Toad]], and his new allies, [[Mii]]s. This game introduces [[Super Acorn]]s, which give Mario & co. a new form, [[Flying Squirrel Mario]], when he collects them. In this form, Mario can glide and cling to walls. The upgraded [[P-Acorn]] allows him to fly indefinitely. His old power-ups, including but not limited to the [[Super Mushroom]], [[Fire Flower]], and [[Ice Flower]], return. The Penguin Suit and Propeller Suit from ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' also return, but they are found only in certain Toad Houses and in Challenge Mode.

In this game, Mario discovers [[Baby Yoshi]]s that aid him on his adventure by providing light, emitting bubbles, or floating. During his adventure, he encounters new enemies, including but not limited to [[Waddlewing]]s, [[Nabbit]], and [[Goombrat]]s. To save Princess Peach, Mario must travel to a Koopaling's airship and defeat that Koopaling to proceed. When Mario finally arrives at Peach's Castle, it is conquered, and he must enter the modified castle to defeat Bowser and rescue Peach.

In the downloadable content ''[[New Super Luigi U]]'', due to Luigi replacing Mario as the main protagonist, Mario himself does not appear, marking his only absence in the entire ''[[Super Mario (series)|Super Mario]]'' series. His absence from the game is referenced in three instances: in the opening sequence, his [[Mario Cap|cap]] appears on the table; at the beginning of the [[Frosted Glacier]] level [[Broozers and Barrels]], a snowman with Mario's face and a cap with his "M" on it can be seen; and an object known as the [[Luigi Block]] has Mario's [[emblem]] on it (despite being named after Luigi).  

Mario reappears as a playable character in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe]]''. Mario remains a non-playable character in ''New Super Luigi U''. When a [[Super Guide Block]] appears in ''New Super Luigi U'', however, a computer-controlled Mario now appears to complete a level for the player.

Mario returns in ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'' and its [[Nintendo Switch]] port, ''[[Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury]]'', alongside [[Luigi]], [[Princess Peach]], and [[Toad]], as an all-round character, in a similar way to ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', lacking the special abilities and trade-offs of the other three characters. After Bowser has kidnapped the [[Sprixie Princesses]], Peach falls into the [[Clear Pipe|pipe]] that leads to the [[Sprixie Kingdom]], and Mario, Toad, and Luigi follow. There, they cooperate on their adventure to reach Bowser. During the adventure, Mario encounters new items, most notably the [[Super Bell]], which transforms him into [[Cat Mario]]. He also encounters new enemies, such as [[Cat Goomba]]s, and old enemies, including [[Chargin' Chuck]]s. [[Boom Boom]] and [[Pom Pom]] also reappear to hinder Mario's progress, while new bosses, such as [[Hisstocrat]], are additional impediments.

In the game's port's standalone story ''[[#Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury|Bowser's Fury]]'', Mario is the only character from ''Super Mario 3D World'' to be playable. He teams up with [[Bowser Jr.]] to collect [[Cat Shine]]s and defeat a corrupted Bowser and restore him back to normal, which they do by collecting more Cat Shines that awaken a new power-up called the [[Giga Bell]], one of the enhanced versions of the Super Bell that transforms Mario into [[Giga Cat Mario]], which will allow him to grow to an enormous size to battle Fury Bowser. If he collects all 100 Cat Shines, his Cat form changes to match his Giga Cat form, Bowser Jr. and his [[Junior Clown Car]] become Cat variants of themselves, and Fury Bowser's spikes and hair change from orange to white, although all of these changes are simply aesthetic.

Mario appears as the sole playable character in the [[Wii U]] level-creation game ''[[Super Mario Maker]]''. However, Mario can make use of [[Mystery Mushroom]]s to take on the appearances of a variety of other characters (including non-''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' characters). Also, a number of unlockable Mystery Mushroom [[Costume Mario|costume]]s alter Mario's sprite to a different iteration of himself, listed below. In the [[Nintendo 3DS]] [[Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS|version]] of the game, Mario cannot do this due to the removal of the Mystery Mushroom.

Mario is also given two new forms: the first one is [[Weird Mushroom (item)|Weird Mario]], which is a taller and skinnier version of him and has access to the [[Scuttle]], and in addition to be a placeable form, will also "answer" [[Warp Door]]s if they are tapped five times. The other is [[Big Mario]], which comes in two different versions: one with Mario's original colors and another with his modern colors. The form causes several enemies and items to gain traits of Mario (specifically his [[Mario Cap|cap]] and his moustache).

Mario reappears in ''[[Super Mario Run]]'' as a playable character along with [[Luigi]], [[Princess Peach]], [[Toad]], [[Toadette]], the colored [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshi]]s, and [[Princess Daisy]]. Mario is the only playable character at the start of the game, but the others are unlocked as the player progresses through the game. Along with Luigi, Mario has a small form, allowing him to be hit twice before being defeated. Statues of Mario can also be bought at the shop and built in Kingdom Builder. A golden Mario statue is also available for purchase via [[My Nintendo]].

[[File:SMO Cap Throw.png|thumb|Mario with Cappy in ''Super Mario Odyssey'']]

Mario once again appears as the protagonist and the sole playable character (aside from [[Cappy]] in co-op mode) in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''. When Bowser kidnaps Peach again, Mario fights him on Bowser's airship. However, he is defeated by Bowser and crash-lands in the [[Cap Kingdom]]. He is later found by a Bonneter named Cappy, whose sister [[Tiara]] was also kidnapped by Bowser, and the two team up to save their respective loved ones. Cappy replaces the [[Mario Cap]] (which was torn apart during the fight), allowing Mario to throw him in one of his moves as well as use him to [[capture]] various characters, enemies, and objects. The two then have to travel across various kingdoms in order to catch up with Bowser and save Princess Peach.

Appearance-wise, Mario seems to have a similar design to that he possessed in ''Super Mario 3D World'', albeit with more detailed textures, and he appears to be much smaller in height than other humans, as seen in [[Metro Kingdom|New Donk City]].<ref name="Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017">Nintendo. (January 13, 2017). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kcdRBHM7kM Super Mario Odyssey - Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 Trailer]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved January 13, 2017.</ref>

Mario reappears in ''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]'' as the main playable character. Although he is no longer the only playable character, he is the only one playable in Story Mode. Mario has access to the [[Super Bell]] power-up, due to the addition of a ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'' style. In addition, he can use the [[Super Hammer]] power-up in said style to turn into [[Builder Mario]], as well as the [[Superball Flower]] in the ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' style, which previously appeared 30 years prior in ''[[Super Mario Land]]'' and turns Mario into [[Superball Mario]]. In the version 3.0.0 update, he also has access to the [[SMB2 Mushroom]], which turns him into [[SMB2 Mario]], giving him his appearance and characteristics from ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]''.

Mario appears as a playable character in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 35]]'', identical to his appearance from ''Super Mario Bros.'' He is also featured in multiple player icons.

Mario is featured in a feature-length anime adaption of ''Super Mario Bros.'', ''[[Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!]]''. In this film, Mario and Luigi are portrayed as [[grocery]] store workers. Mario has his video game hijacked, and he notices Princess Peach. She escape the TV set, pleads for help, and gets kidnapped by [[Bowser|King Koopa]], dropping her [[Brooch]]. Mario quickly is attracted to her, and he and Luigi, while also traveling to the kingdom for riches, eventually follow [[Kibidango]] into a series of [[Warp Pipe|pipe]]s, and exploring the Mushroom Kingdom to search for Princess Peach.

==''Family Computer Golf: Japan Course'' / ''Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course''==

Mario appears in ''[[Family Computer Golf: Japan Course]]'' where he is depicted in his normal overalls with his appearance akin to his normal design. In ''[[Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course]]'', the companion of ''Family Computer Golf: Japan Course'', Mario has a blue shirt and red-and-white striped overalls.

Mario makes a playable appearance in the Japan-exclusive racing game, ''[[Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race]]''. Mario drives a Formula One car and can race alone or with a competition. Whenever Mario crashes into a wall or car or drives off-road, his car's fuel and health decrease. He can visit pit stops to repair and refuel his car, although this takes time. When Mario wins the Grand Prix, he earns money, which can be used to buy unlockable cars.

In ''[[Alleyway]]'', similar to ''{{wp|Breakout (video game)|Breakout}}'', Mario controls a paddle that deflects a ball to break a particular formation of bricks. During bonus rounds, various brick formations resembling sprites from ''Super Mario Bros.'', including Mario's sprite, are shown.

==DIC cartoons==

In the ''Mario'' cartoons produced by [[DIC Entertainment]], Mario and Luigi are shown to be plumbers from [[Brooklyn]]. According to the first two animated series, Mario and Luigi arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom while out on a house call; they are shown working on a bathtub in an old woman's house when they are suddenly sucked down the drain, transporting them to the Mushroom Kingdom, where they save Princess Toadstool from King Koopa for the first time. The series depicts Mario as the pasta-loving older brother of Luigi.

{{quote|Hey, paisanos! It's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!|Mario|The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!}}

''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' shows both Mario's and Luigi's lives in the real world and their lives in the Mushroom Kingdom, through both live-action and animated episodes. In the live-action portion of the show, Mario and Luigi (portrayed by [[Lou Albano]] and [[Danny Wells]], respectively) are plumbers living in Brooklyn, working from [[Mario Brothers Plumbing]], their basement workshop doubling as their home. They are shown as being financially unsuccessful, barely being able to get by. In some segments, Mario is shown to have disdain for his life; in the episode "[[Baby Mario Love]]," Mario is shown complaining about his life being dull, not having any glitz or glamour.

[[File:SMBSSCartoon.jpg|thumb|Mario seen with [[Toad]], [[Luigi]], and [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] in the animated ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'']]

Similar to King Koopa, Mouser, and Tryclyde, Mario may occasionally employ disguises or aliases during an animated segment.

 

{{main|List of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episodes featuring Mario}}

''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' follows the events of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' This series of episodes is based on ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', including Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad engaging King Koopa and his children, the [[Koopalings]], the new major antagonists of the show. In this series and in the next and final animated series of the DiC trilogy, ''Super Mario World'', Mario is portrayed by [[Walker Boone]]. The only episode Mario does not appear in is "[[Life's Ruff]]."

{{main|List of Super Mario World episodes featuring Mario}}

{{quote2|Ugh. Now I know how a meatball feels...|Mario|</span>"[[Mama Luigi]]"<span>}}

The [[Super Mario World (television series)|''Super Mario World'' television series]] is a continuation of the previous series, ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3''. This time, the episodes focus loosely on the video game ''[[Super Mario World]]'' with added characters, the most prominent being [[Yoshi]], the [[Cave People]], and [[Oogtar]]. Mario appears in every episode of the ''Super Mario World'' television series as one of the main protagonists.

Mario appears in the "show on ice" television special ''[[Mario Ice Capades]]''. In the show, Bowser plans to use the NES to infect computers with viruses. After being summoned by Princess Toadstool, Mario and Luigi appear and fight Bowser's troops consisting of two [[Koopa Troopa]]s, two [[Goomba]]s, a [[Hammer Bro]]ther, a red [[Koopa Paratroopa]], and a [[Spiny]]. For the final fight with Bowser, Mario and Luigi get children from the audience to assist them, handing them plumber tools for them to use as weapons. After their victory, Princess Toadstool awards them the "Purple Plunger for Bravery."

==''[[Dr. Mario (series)|Dr. Mario]]'' series==

[[File:Dr Mario DMW.png|150px|thumb|Mario as Dr. Mario]]

{{quote2|Hi everybody! I'm Mario. How's it going? Over the last few years, I've been involved in some pretty wild adventures. Now, believe it or not, I work in the virus research lab at the [[Mushroom Kingdom Hospital]]. Today I'm about to begin my research as usual.|Dr. Mario|[[Dr. Mario (game)|Dr. Mario]] </span>[[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] manual, p. 3<span>}}

Mario takes in a different alias in the first game of the puzzle subseries, ''[[Dr. Mario (game)|Dr. Mario]]''. Mario works alongside Nurse Toadstool ([[Princess Peach]]) at the [[Mushroom Kingdom Hospital]] to combat three types of viruses: [[Fever]], [[Chill]], and [[Weird]]. Here, he must drop [[Capsule]]s to destroy these viruses.

''[[Dr. Mario 64]]'' features a story behind the gameplay. During a flu outbreak, Dr. Mario attempts to use his Megavitamins to heal the citizens. Wario, however, wishes to steal and profit from the Megavitamins. [[Mad Scienstein]] intervenes and takes the Megavitamins, so after Dr. Mario beats Wario, the two follow Mad Scienstein, defeating enemies from ''[[Wario Land 3]]''. Mad Scienstein then reveals himself to be a worker for [[Rudy]], who is afflicted with the cold. Dr. Mario proceeds to cure Rudy after beating him, though. If Dr. Mario has not lost any matches, however, Wario takes the Megavitamins and transforms into [[Vampire Wario]]. On the other hand, if the player is using Wario, Dr. Mario becomes Metal Mario after ingesting the pills.

In ''[[Dr. Mario World]]'', Dr. Mario hunts down viruses to save infected [[Koopa Troopa]]s, [[Toad (species)|Toad]]s, and [[Shy Guy]]s after a virus outbreak happens in the Mushroom Kingdom. Other ''Mario'' characters join him as playable characters.

 

 

The ''[[Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.]]'' series of Japan-only anime features ''Mario'' characters in classic fairy tale settings and with alterations. Mario plays as the main protagonist, defeating Bowser in all of them. ''[[Super Mario Momotarō]]'' retells a popular Japanese folklore called ''{{wp|Momotarō}}'', with Mario playing the role as the main hero who is born from a peach and is raised by elderly Hammer Bros. ''[[Super Mario Issun-bōshi]]'' retells the Japanese folk tale ''{{wp|Issun-bōshi}}'', where Mario plays the role of a small hero who is only one inch tall.  ''[[Super Mario Shirayuki-hime]]'' is the final story of the series, based on Brothers Grimm's ''{{wp|Snow White}}'', where Mario protect Princess Peach from the evil Queen Koopa, who is Bowser.

[[File:Mario Solo SuperMarioKun.png|thumb|138px|''Super Mario-kun'']]

Mario is depicted as playful, brave, and devoted to his friends, although immature, rash, and sometimes mischievous. Unlike in the games, Mario frequently scolds or teases his friends for failing or otherwise making simple gags. Mario, as well as his friends, is playful with his visual gags, pop culture references, and wordplay, and can even engage in crude humor such as farting to taunt his opponents or urinating on Yoshi.

[[File:SMWMAYALCall.png|thumb|left|Mario calls the viewer in ''Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land''.]]

Mario is one of the main characters in the interactive OVA ''[[Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land]]''. The video follows the story of ''[[Super Mario World]]'' rather closely, though it is quite condensed. Mario leads a group on a quest to save Princess Peach from King Koopa. He is shown to be the bravest of the group, with Luigi and Yoshi less so. He often calls the viewer to ask questions.

In ''[[NES Open Tournament Golf]]'', taking place on [[Earth]], Mario retains his blue shirt and red-and-white striped overalls. Princess Peach is depicted as Mario's caddy, who helps carry Mario's golf equipment.

The comic that is released alongside the ''[[White Knuckle Scorin']]'' CD album is a loose adaptation of ''Super Mario World''. Mario and Luigi vacation in Dinosaur Land, but Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach as part of his plan to convert Dinosaur Land to fossil fuel and become an oil tycoon of OPEC. While Princess Peach tries to send messages, Mario helps teach Yoshi how to read, which is later integral for relaying Peach's messages as well as reciting spells from Bowser's magic book.

===''Yoshi''===

Mario is featured in the first game of the ''Yoshi'' franchise, entitled simply ''[[Yoshi (game)|Yoshi]]'' (or ''Mario & Yoshi''). The gameplay is similar to that of ''Tetris'': Mario holds several enemies and must align them vertically to eliminate them and score points. Mario can also match egg halves vertically (even with enemies in between) to create a [[Yoshi's Egg]] that hatches a [[Baby Yoshi]], giving Mario 50 points. The Yoshi that Mario can hatch is dependent on the enemies between the egg halves.

 

 

 

 

 

In ''[[Yoshi's New Island]]'', adult Mario is disguised as a live Warp Pipe named [[Mr. Pipe]], and he helps Yoshi and Baby Mario by giving them needed items. He reveals himself in the end credits, where he eventually vanishes, presumably going back to his own time period.

Mario is the main character of ''[[Super Mario Adventures]]'', a 10-part series of comics that features Mario and Luigi attempting to rescue Princess Toadstool, as well as other characters and elements from ''[[Super Mario World]]''. In the comics, Mario and Luigi head to Princess Toadstool's castle to attempt to fix the plumbing, but Bowser and the Koopa Troop, who are responsible for the pipe problem, ambush them. Turning Mario to stone, Bowser and his army kidnap Princess Toadstool so Bowser can marry her. After recovering from his stone form, Mario teams up with Luigi, and they follow the pipes to rescue Princess Toadstool. Along the way, they attempt to cook an egg, but they accidentally encounter Yoshi when the egg hatches. Unlike in many video games, Mario gets captured twice, and he needs to be rescued by both Princess Toadstool (who escapes the first time, but gets recaptured later and put in a trance) and Luigi. Other characters Mario and Luigi encounter include [[Friendly Floyd]], a businessperson who swindles the Mario Bros.' money; however, his services help Luigi devise a disguise to rescue Mario by dressing as Princess Toadstool. Mario and Luigi also encounter Boos in a ghost house, where Mario disguises himself as a psychiatrist to help comfort the Boos and escape the ghost house.

Mario helps children type in both ''[[Mario Teaches Typing]]'' and ''[[Mario Teaches Typing 2]]''. By typing correctly, players enable the game to advance. ''Mario Teaches Typing 2'', the sequel, has another story. Mario and Luigi find a [[Magical Typewriter]]. The note attached to it explains that it is essential to beat Bowser. If one types the correct sequence into the scroll, a spell is cast and defeats Bowser. If it is used incorrectly, however, the typewriter self-destructs. Mario attempts to type, but he fails and the typewriter explodes, sending its pieces to various regions. The two adventure, retrieving the pieces while improving their typing abilities, eventually restore the typewriter, and cause a giant typewriter to fall on top of Bowser's Castle.

Mario appears in various scenes of the virtual coloring book, ''[[Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up]]''. He and various other ''Mario'' characters (and [[Link]]) are shown in various occupations.

[[File:MK8-Line-Mario-Hop.gif|left|thumb|[[LINE]] sticker of Mario [[hop (move)|hop]]ping from ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'']]

In the ''[[Mario Kart (series)|Mario Kart]]'' series, both in the mainline series and the ''Mario Kart Arcade GP'' arcade series, starting with ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'', Mario has always been a playable character and, except in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', is usually available at the start. In games where characters are divided into weight groups, Mario is a middle-weight character with all-around stats. Numerous racecourses throughout the series have been named after Mario, usually as [[Mario Circuit]].

In the first installment, ''Super Mario Kart'', when Mario is a CPU, he sometimes uses [[Super Star|Star]] power, which gives him invincibility. In ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'', he is grouped with [[Luigi]] by default, with art always showing him as the driver, and their special item is the [[Fireball]], which splits into five smaller fireballs and spins out any racer that the fireballs hit. His [[kart]] is the [[Red Fire]], which is an all-around kart.

In ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP]]'', Mario shares his special character items with Luigi. His special items are a Star, which gives Mario invincibility; a fireball, which can be shot forward or backward to damage a kart; the hammer, which can hit a rival, giving them damage; and the Chain Chomp, which provides damage to any kart it hits. In ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP DX]]'', his personal kart is the [[Lightning Champ]]. He also receives a Fire Mario alternate palette swap.

In ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'', Mario's karts are the [[B Dasher]], the [[Standard MR]], and the [[Shooting Star (kart)|Shooting Star]]. After the player beats the game, Mario, as well as the rest of the roster, can race in any of the karts. He also fights two bosses in Mission Mode: [[Eyerok]] in Level 2 and [[Wiggler]] in Level 7. Mario is also used to race a special red car in [[Shroom Ridge]].

In ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'', Mario also provides a boost to handling, weight, and acceleration on any vehicle he drives. Mario's stats in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' are also not perfectly balanced. His top speed and traction are his strongest stats, while his acceleration is his weakest stat. If Mario drives certain vehicles, they are colored red to match Mario's color. The exceptions are his gray [[GLA]] and his white [[City Tripper]] (though with red accents). Unlike in ''Mario Kart Wii'', all characters can ride on any vehicle in the game.

Mario reappears in ''Mario Kart Tour'' as an unlockable Super driver. His [[Special skill (Mario Kart Tour)|special skill]] is the [[Fire Flower]]. Mario also has a [[Mario Cup|self-titled cup]] in the game, as well as [[Mario Tour (2021)|self]]-[[Mario Tour (2023)|named]] tours and Team Rally tours [[Mario vs. Luigi Tour|against Luigi]] and [[Mario vs. Peach Tour|against Peach]].

Mario has several variants of himself appear. Baby Mario makes his debut in ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' [[Robo Mario]] also appears as a rival in ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP]]''. [[Metal Mario]] makes his debut in the ''Mario Kart'' series in ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'' and has been described as a rival on the American website for ''Mario Kart 7''. ''Mario Kart Tour'' additionally introduced a number of High-End variants of Mario, with most of them being based on his outfits from ''Super Mario Odyssey''.

*'''Mario (Musician)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Double Bob-ombs]] special skill and was available as of the [[New York Tour]].

*'''Mario (Hakama)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Coin Box]] special skill and was available as of the [[Tokyo Tour]].

*'''Mario (Santa)''': This variant is added in the [[Winter Tour (2019)|2019 Winter Tour]], with the Fire Flower being his special skill (like his normal counterpart).

*'''Mario (Happi)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Bob-omb Cannon]] special skill and was introduced in the [[New Year's Tour (2020)|2020 New Year's Tour]].

*'''Mario (Classic)''': Mario has the [[Triple Mushrooms]] special skill and is available as of the [[Mario Bros. Tour]].  

*'''Mario (Chef)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', based on the chef outfit from ''Yoshi's Cookie'', he has the [[Lucky Seven]] as his special skill and is introduced in the [[Cooking Tour]].

*'''Mario (Swimwear)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'' and introduced in the [[Marine Tour]], he has the [[Dash Ring]] as his special skill.  

*'''Mario (SNES)''': This variant is based on Mario's sprites from ''Super Mario Kart'', and he appears as of the [[Super Mario Kart Tour]] with the Triple Mushrooms as his special skill.

*'''Mario (Sunshine)''': From ''Super Mario Sunshine'', he has the [[Giant Banana]] special skill, and he appears as of the [[Los Angeles Tour (2020)|2020 Los Angeles Tour]].

*'''Mario (Halloween)''': This variant has the Lucky Seven for his special skill and was added in the [[Halloween Tour (2020)|2020 Halloween Tour]].

*'''Mario (Racing)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has Triple Mushrooms special skill and was introduced in the [[Mario Tour (2021)|2021 Mario Tour]]

*'''Mario (Tuxedo)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Coin Box]] special skill and was introduced in the  [[Wedding Tour]].

*'''Mario (Baseball)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Mushroom Cannon]] special skill and is introduced in the [[Los Angeles Tour (2021)|2021 Los Angeles Tour]].

*'''Mario (Satellaview)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Lucky Seven]] special skill and is introduced in the [[Space Tour (2021)|2021 Space Tour]].

*'''Mario (Golf)''': A variant of Mario in his golf outfit originally from ''Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course'' and ''NES Open Tournament Golf'' but introduced in ''Super Mario Odyssey'' was introduced in [[Los Angeles Tour (2022)|2022 Los Angeles Tour]].

*'''Mario (Aviator)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Dash Ring]] special skill and was introduced in the [[Sky Tour]]. Also parsed as '''Aviator Mario'''.<ref>[https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1633119423 ''Mario Kart Tour''] (United States). ''apple.com''. Retrieved November 12, 2022. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20221108155848/https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1633119423 Archived] November 8, 2022, 15:58:48 UTC via Wayback Machine.) "''Float through the 3DS Rainbow Road track in the Space Tour, fly through the GBA Sky Tour''{{sic}}'' as Aviator Mario…who knows what’s coming next?''"</ref>

*'''Mario (Samurai)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Boomerang Flower]] special skill and was introduced in the [[Samurai Tour]].

*'''Mario (King)''': From ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he has the [[Coin Box]] special skill and was introduced in the [[Anniversary Tour]].

In total, Mario has 17 different playable variants (not including [[Metal Mario]], [[Ice Mario (Super Mario Galaxy)|Ice Mario]], [[Builder Mario]], [[Dr. Mario]], [[Penguin Mario]], [[Tanooki Mario]], and [[Cat Mario]]), making him the driver in ''Mario Kart Tour'' with the most playable variants. He also has multiple victory animations depending on which variant the player uses. His Builder variant holds up his hammer, then nods his head; his musician variant waves his hat in the air; his Sunshine variant dances in his seat; his Halloween variant looks around, then playfully giggles; and his Satellaview variant performs an astronaut's wave.

==''Mario Discovery'' series==

Mario travels to different worlds to teach basic learning skills to younger players in the ''[[Mario Discovery (series)|''Mario Discovery'']]'' series. Mario is controlled by a cursor interacting with an object.

The 1992 game ''[[Mario is Missing!]]'' was the first game in the ''Mario Discovery Series''<ref>An [http://www.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=39370 alternate box art] of ''Mario is Missing!'' sported the "Mario Discovery Series" symbol.</ref> of Educational Games and set the ''Mario'' characters on [[Earth]]. When hearing of Bowser's plan to flood the Earth by melting [[Antarctica]]'s ice with hair dryers, Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi head to Bowser's Castle in the Antarctic. Mario is captured, although his capture varies between versions of the game.

In the DOS version, Mario enters the castle alone, as Luigi is too scared to follow. Mario meets Bowser, who is in a butler disguise, and accepts candy from him, despite Luigi's warning not to take candy from strangers. Bowser uses this as a distraction to trap Mario in a net. Despite his captured status, however, Mario in that version nonetheless manages to give contact to Luigi to guide him to the continents to stop Bowser's plans, as well as update him on the situation. Over the course of the game, Mario tells Luigi that he admitted to Bowser that he has a fear of the dark, which strained communication since Bowser is threatening him with his fear. In the NES version, Mario is captured outside in the snow by a Koopa with a bag. In that version, he also reacts angrily to the title shortly before being captured by the Koopa. In the SNES version, Mario gets trapped inside a pitfall outside the castle.

The game centers around Luigi, who rescues Mario from Bowser in the end.

In ''[[Mario's Time Machine]]'', Bowser uses a time machine to steal various artifacts from different time periods of human history in order to display them at his museum. Mario goes on a mission to return all objects of Bowser's museum to their original time periods in order to prevent history from being altered. Additionally, Mario has to rescue Yoshi from Bowser in the NES version of the game. ''Mario's Time Machine'' is one of the few games in which Mario talks.

In the SNES version, Mario has to pick a stolen object from the museum and then go to a "Time Surfing" level to collect enough Mushrooms to make a time jump, then return the objects to their proper places.

In ''[[Mario & Wario]]'', Mario is a passive character. Wario drops buckets or barrels or similar objects on his head, blinding him. The fairy [[Wanda]] has to guide Mario safely to Luigi through hazards and traps in each level. When arriving at the end of the level, Luigi frees Mario from the sight-blocking object. Mario is only one of the characters that have to be guided through levels by Wanda like this in the game. The other characters are Princess Peach and Yoshi. Mario walks at a medium speed, while Peach is slow and Yoshi is fast.

[[File:HM Wendy Hotel Start Cutscene.png|thumb|right|Mario gestures and warns the player about Wendy's [[Penny (enemy)|penny enemies]] "pinching back"]]

In ''[[Hotel Mario]]'', Mario and Luigi travel to the Mushroom Kingdom after an invitation for a picnic by Princess Peach. Upon arriving, the two find out that Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser, who has made her a "permanent guest" in one of his seven [[Koopa hotel]]s. Mario and Luigi travel from one Koopaling's hotel to the next, with Peach being brought to a new hotel every time the brothers have searched through the last one. After destroying most of the Koopaling hotels, Mario fights Bowser in his [[Bowser's Seizure Palace|own hotel]] and defeats him. He then receives a kiss from Princess Peach, then congratulates the player as "the best ever."

In the game, Mario has to close all doors in a hotel in order to proceed. Mario can stomp on enemies to defeat them, similar to in the ''Super Mario'' series. He can also hide in open doors and take elevators to change his level.

Mario has also appeared in ''[[Mario's FUNdamentals]]'', where he plays several games with younger players, such as "Go Fish," "Checkers," "Backgammon," "Dominoes," and "Yahtzee." This is the first video game where [[Charles Martinet]], the current voice actor for Mario, was credited for providing his voice.

==''Mario Tennis'' series==

Mario is a playable character in all games of the ''Mario Tennis'' series. In all direct games in the series—''[[Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)|Mario Tennis]]'' for the Nintendo 64, ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]'' for the Nintendo GameCube and Wii, ''[[Mario Tennis: Power Tour]]'' for the Game Boy Advance, ''[[Mario Tennis Open]]'' for the Nintendo 3DS, ''[[Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash]]'' for the Wii U, and ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'' for the Nintendo Switch—he is an all-around character. In ''[[Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)|Mario Tennis]]'' for the Game Boy Color, Mario is an unlockable character, unlocked by completing the Singles Mario Tour.

 

In ''Mario Tennis'', Mario is an all-around playable character, and he has several themed courts including the [[Mario Bros. Court]], the [[Mario & Luigi Court]], and the [[Super Mario Court]]. In the doubles version of tournament mode, his AI doubles partner is Luigi. Additionally, if Peach is the human player, Mario is her partner.

 

 

===''Mario Power Tennis''===

In ''Mario Power Tennis'', Mario and Luigi are the only all-around characters. Unlike in other games, Mario and Luigi have subtle differences within each other. While they have nearly identical movement speed, Mario has more power, while Luigi has slightly more reach and more control. Mario, when compared to other characters, has a slightly below-average reach and lunge because of his short stature. Mario is stronger than most non-power characters. All his other stats are average. Mario's [[Offensive Power Shot]] has his racket transform into a giant mallet, which enables him to hit the ball with high speed and force; opponents that return the ball may get blasted to the back of the court. Mario's [[Defensive Power Shot]] is a simple spin that allows him to reach lobs and faraway balls quickly, but it is one of the few Defensive Power Shots that fail when the ball is too far away. Mario's taunt is him waving and saying, "Come on!"

 

Mario has appeared occasionally in several trophy-earning ceremonies in ''Mario Power Tennis''. While Mario has appeared more than most characters in these ceremonies, Luigi appears in most trophy-earning ceremonies.

During the opening cinematic, Mario returns the ball that gets past Wario and Waluigi, allowing him and Luigi to win the opener of the tournament. During the night of the final match, Mario and Luigi are about to face off against Yoshi and Donkey Kong, but their opponents fail to show up, as Wario and Waluigi appear instead. Wario and Waluigi launch a full-scale assault by throwing Bob-ombs, while Mario and Luigi use their tennis rackets to knock back the explosives, which causes significant damage to the [[Peach Dome]] in recoil. After Bowser from his balloon launches a Bullet Bill, Mario knocks it back to Wario and Waluigi. Mario is unharmed during the chaos, even after Bowser's balloon generated an explosion that nearly wiped out the venue and the rest of the inhabitants inside.

===''Mario Tennis Open''===

In ''Mario Tennis Open'', Mario shares nearly identical stats from ''Mario Power Tennis''. Mario's metal form, Metal Mario, also appears as a Power character. Miis in the game can wear tennis clothing based on Mario, and if they win the singles Final Cup, they can wear his costume as well.

In ''Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash'', Mario's tennis racket color is slightly different in this game; rather than being a solid blue, Mario's racket is predominantly red and blue with some white.

===''Mario Tennis Aces''===

In ''Mario Tennis Aces'', Mario by default wears a new tennis outfit. However, his standard outfit could be unlocked by either participating in the online tournament demo or accumulating 500 participation points in the January 2019 online tournament. Also, Mario was among the characters that could be played as in the online tournament demo. During the game's adventure mode, Mario is, for most of the missions, the playable character as the player must collect the five [[Power Stone]]s to stop [[Lucien]]. As of the game's version 2.0.0 update, the player can unlock a costume for Mario that has him wielding a Lucien replica while wearing his tennis outfit by completing [[Last Trial Boss Challenge]].

[[File:RPGMario.png|thumb|upright=0.7|left|One of Mario's earliest 3D iterations in a video game. [[:File:Diddy mario 3d render.png|An earlier one]] is found in ''[[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest]]'']]

Mario appears as the main protagonist in ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''. Mario first arrives to confront [[Bowser]], who has again captured [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] (which by now is a recurring event). Mario battles Bowser atop a [[Kinklink]] and rescues Toadstool. Then a huge sword, [[Exor]], strikes the castle from atop and knocks them all to various spots in [[Mario World|Mario's world]]. Mario falls through the [[Warp Pipe|pipe]] on top of [[Mario Bros.' House|his house]] and lands on his bed.

Mario discovers that the [[Star Piece (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)|Star Pieces]] of the [[wish]]-granting [[Star Road (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)|Star Road]] are being sought by a group called the [[Smithy Gang]], run by [[Smithy]], who are causing havoc throughout the world. On this adventure, Mario recruits [[Mallow]], [[Geno]], Princess Toadstool, and even Bowser. They travel through much of the world, finding Star Pieces, which are protected by the Smithy Gang's strongest members. After all Star Pieces are collected, Mario fights Smithy. Mario reaches it through Bowser's Keep, which is inaccessible because Exor destroyed the bridge. With the help of Mallow's parents, [[King Nimbus|King]] and [[Queen Nimbus]], Mario has passage through a special [[Royal Bus|cloud bus]]. When they finally arrive, Mario defeats Exor and goes to [[Factory (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)|Smithy's dimension]] via Exor's mouth.

Mario's journey is not over since Smithy has even more minions at his disposal. After many battles, Mario faces and defeats Smithy, saving the Star Road.

{{quote|I've-a got it! The Stars will help us end their fight! We'll throw a Mario Party to fill the Star Bank!|Mario|Mario Party 6}}

Mario is one of the playable characters in the ''[[Mario Party (series)|Mario Party]]'' series, appearing in all games thus far along with [[Luigi]], [[Princess Peach|Peach]], and [[Yoshi]]. He is always represented by his trademark red color. Mario can compete in [[minigame]]s to win coins (or [[Mini Star]]s, in ''[[Mario Party 9]]'' and in [[Star-Crossed Skyway]] in ''[[Mario Party: Island Tour]]''), which ultimately can help him earn Stars. In the first three ''Mario Party'' games, Mario aims to become the superstar, the character with the most Stars, coins being the tiebreaker. Though Mario has no distinguishable traits from the other ''Mario Party'' characters, the most notable difference is Mario's ability to use the [[Fireball Orb]] in ''[[Mario Party 7]]''. Additionally, Mario's default Duel Mode partner is [[Koopa Troopa]] in ''[[Mario Party 3]]'', and the booklet says that his favorite item is the [[Super Mushroom|Golden Mushroom]], which increases the likelihood of his purchasing one if he is CPU-controlled. In ''Mario Party 3'', he also challenges the player for the Courage [[Star Stamp]] if he is not used. In ''[[Super Mario Party]]'', Mario's [[Dice Block]] has one 1, three 3's, one 5, and one 6, making it very balanced, although odd numbers are very common, making it more predictable where Mario will land in the Partner Party mode.

[[File:Mario throughout the Super Smash Bros. series.png|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Mario as he appears in the first five ''Super Smash Bros.'' games]]

Mario has been playable in every ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' game to date. Mario is usually portrayed as a "main" character alongside [[Link]], [[Kirby]], and [[Pikachu]], roughly depicted as the most prominent character and face of the games until ''Ultimate'', where he and Link share mascot status and Kirby is the closest thing to a main character in [[World of Light]]. Mario has retained his balanced abilities even when fighting characters from other series. Due to his balanced playstyle, Mario's skill is reflected by the player, as mentioned by the Adventure mode Mario trophy. Also, as a result of his balanced design, Mario is also typically chosen for the "template" character; in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', as well as all subsequent ''Super Smash Bros.'' installments, he is shown in the "How to Play" video; in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', players use him when testing changes in Stage Creator; and in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', his silhouette is an opponent character for special move demonstrations. He is also used for controller mapping testing and is part of the gauge when players select the level of intensity in Classic Mode. Mario's moveset consists of quick short-ranged attacks, such as punches, kicks, and even head attacks. Mario's weight in ''Super Smash Bros.'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' is 100 units; starting from ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', his weight is decreased to 98 units. Mario's victory theme throughout the series, which is shared with the rest of the ''Mario'' characters (except [[Rosalina]]), is an arrangement of the level clear theme from ''Super Mario Bros.''

Most of Mario's moveset remains the same throughout the games, though his forward smash has been altered from a fist-inflating punch to an explosive palm blast (used from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' onward). Additionally, his spinning kick forward aerial is replaced with a downward {{wp|Hook (boxing)|hook}} from ''Melee'' onward, while the Mario Tornado has been used as his down aerial since ''Brawl''.

Mario's alter-egos [[Dr. Mario]] and [[Metal Mario]] have also made appearances, with Dr. Mario being playable in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'', ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'', and ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. Mario also makes additional trophy, sticker, and spirit appearances such as his ''Mario Strikers'' incarnation, his Raccoon form, and him driving a vehicle.

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In ''Super Smash Bros.'', Mario's standard moveset is inspired from ''[[Super Mario 64]]''; his standard attack is the [[Punch]] + Punch + [[Kick]] combo, his dash attack is the [[Slide Kick]], his down smash is the [[Sweep Kick]], and finally, his back throw is the same throw he uses against [[Bowser]]. His special moves are [[Fireball]], a bouncing fireball; [[Super Jump Punch]], which has him jump, causing [[coin]]s to fly out when in contact with enemies; and [[Mario Tornado]], which has him spinning rapidly. Luigi serves as a [[SmashWiki:Clone|clone]] of Mario, having the same moveset but with different properties, although in later games, he would be replaced by Dr. Mario.

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In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', Mario gains a side special move: [[Cape]], a cape swipe that reflects projectiles. In contrast to his appearances in most games, he has a very serious and stern look on his face, despite the fact that he is normally portrayed as a cheerful person. Dr. Mario is introduced as a playable character, having near-identical moves.

{{main-external|SmashWiki|Mario (SSBB)}}

 

In ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', like every other character, Mario is given a [[Final Smash]], which is named [[Mario Finale]]. This move launches a slow-moving two-streamed blast of fire that hits multiple times. Opponents that come in contact with the blast are knocked slightly to the side, and are thus forced to travel in the blast's direction. His down special move, Mario Tornado, was replaced by [[F.L.U.D.D.]], which sprays water that can push opponents.  

While he does not appear as Dr. Mario, unlike in the previous game, Dr. Mario's name can be found in the files for the game along with [[SmashWiki:Unused Content (SSBB)#Discovered in Brawl's Files|6 other characters]].

Mario also plays a role as one of the several protagonists in the story mode of [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl#Story|The Subspace Emissary]] and is one of the earliest characters shown and is one of the first characters the player can use (the other being Kirby) throughout the cycling cast of useable characters in the story. His role in the story involves cooperating with [[Pit (character)|Pit]], who later recalls this team-up in the next ''Super Smash Bros.'' game during a [[List_of_Palutena%27s_Guidance_conversations#Mario|Palutena's Guidance conversation]].

{{main-external|SmashWiki|Mario (SSB4)}}

In ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' and ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'', Mario has been redesigned with a cartoonier appearance, with brighter colors and simplified overalls details, along with a wider variety of more exaggerated facial expressions. His voice remains the same as in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', however. As with any character, can use [[equipment]] to boost his stats at the cost of others. In addition to generic badges, Mario can wear certain additional equipment, including shoes (to boost his speed), overalls (for defense), and gloves (for attack). Finally, Mario can use alternate special moves, provided that these moves are found during normal gameplay. One exception, in the Nintendo 3DS version, is the Explosive Punch, which is unlocked only if the player has a combined score of 200,000 points in Target Blast and the third Challenge Panel has been revealed.

Like every other character previously playable in the series, Mario returns in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' as a playable character. Mario appeared in the game's reveal teaser trailer, alongside Link (in his design from ''The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'') and the new fighter, [[Inkling]]. Mario's fire-based attacks, such as his sweet-spotted forward smash called Fireball, as well as Mario Finale, have brighter, flashier effects, including the appearance of smoke. Mario also has [[Cappy]] alongside him, though Cappy's appearance is limited to aesthetics. Most of Mario's moves are unaltered, though his Super Jump Punch now has a random chance of producing [[regional coin]]s found in the [[Metro Kingdom]] from ''Super Mario Odyssey''. In addition, Mario's [[Fire Mario]] and [[Wario]]-based costumes are replaced with the Wedding and Builder outfits from ''Super Mario Odyssey''. One of these two costumes, the Builder Outfit, was first used for Mario's artworks for ''Super Mario Maker''. In ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', three more of Mario's standard attacks receive names: His up smash is the Lead Headbutt, his forward air is the Meteor Knuckle, and his back throw is the Airplane Swing. As with several other returning characters, the ''Mario''-series victory theme has been slightly shortened and sped up compared to in the previous installments.

In ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''{{'}}s Adventure mode, Mario is seen when the fighters oppose [[Galeem]] for the first time. Although Mario is not shown to be hit by Galeem's beams directly, he, like every fighter except Kirby, is imprisoned in the World of Light, where a Galeem-serving Puppet Fighter (copy) of him is created. Mario is the first imprisoned fighter saved (being rescued following Kirby's defeat of the Mario Puppet Fighter). Once rescued, Mario joins Kirby against Galeem, and later [[Dharkon]]. In Mario's Classic Mode route, it is possible to unlock [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]], [[Bayonetta]], [[Little Mac]], [[Ike]], [[Luigi]], [[Roy (Fire Emblem)|Roy]], Dr. Mario, or [[Captain Olimar|Olimar]].

Mario's Classic Mode route has him fight many characters across different franchises and having no specific theme, similar to Classic Mode's previous iterations. However, Mario has a penultimate battle with Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, while his final battle is against Bowser/Giga Bowser.

#A horde battle against [[List of fighters debuting in Super Smash Bros. Brawl#Squirtle|Squirtle]], [[List of fighters debuting in Super Smash Bros. Brawl#Squirtle|Ivysaur]], [[List of fighters debuting in Super Smash Bros. Brawl#Squirtle|Charizard]], and [[List of fighters debuting in Super Smash Bros.#Pikach|Pikachu]] on [[Pokémon Stadium]]

#A horde battle against [[Larry Koopa|Larry]], [[Morton Koopa Jr.|Morton]], [[Wendy O. Koopa|Wendy]], [[Iggy Koopa|Iggy]], [[Roy Koopa|Roy]], [[Lemmy Koopa|Lemmy]], [[Ludwig von Koopa|Ludwig]], and [[Bowser Jr.]] on [[Princess Peach's Castle (Super Smash Bros. Melee)|Princess Peach's Castle]]

#Final boss against [[Bowser]] who eventually becomes [[Giga Bowser]], on [[Final Destination]]

{{quote2|Welcome to Mario Golf!|Mario|[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]}}

In ''[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]'' for the Nintendo 64, Mario appears with Luigi at the 18th hole of [[Mario's Star (golf course)|Mario's Star]]. His drive is 270 yards, the second strongest in the game, with only [[Bowser]] and [[Metal Mario]] surpassing him, and his shot is Draw. He must be unlocked for the single-player modes, but he is available by default in the multiplayer modes.

Mario also appears in the [[Mario Golf (Game Boy Color)|Game Boy Color version]] under the same name, even though this version is drastically different from the Nintendo 64 version that it can interact with. The game also features a story mode where Mario and other ''Mario'' characters are not playable.

{{quote|It's-a me! Mario! Hoo-hoo! I've been on fire lately, but I hope you'll challenge me!|Mario|Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour}}  

In ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]'', Mario is a default character in all modes. His shot is 212 yards and 280 yards with a star, giving him the fifth strongest drive in the game with a high, straight trajectory. Although he can hit farther than many other characters, his shots are more influenced by the wind due to the his high trajectory, but it can send farther with a favorable wind direction. He has a decently strong impact and the second best spin, only behind Bowser, but as a trade-off to his strong drive, his control is very poor, tied with [[Donkey Kong]] for the second worst in the game and only better than Bowser and Petey Piranha; this means his shots are more sensitive to veering off if the player does not perfectly time the hits while Mario is swinging. When he hits a [[Nice Shot]], the ball is encased in flames.

As with ''Mario Golf'' for the Nintendo 64, ''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour'' features a different handheld variant entitled ''[[Mario Golf: Advance Tour]]'', which continues the story from the Game Boy Color version of ''Mario Golf''. As with its predecessors, Mario and other ''Mario'' characters are not playable in the story mode.

Mario returns in ''[[Mario Golf: World Tour]]'' as a default character. His combination of having the fifth highest drive and straight trajectory makes him a versatile character suited to perform well in many golfing maneuvers, but his control is poor. Mario also has a [[Gold Mario|gold variant]] that featuring identical stats and the inability to use items but awards Mario with a coin per yard depending on how far the ball travels, similar to a permanent [[Gold Flower]].

Mario reappears as a playable character in ''[[Mario Golf: Super Rush]]'', sporting a golfing outfit. He is a Speed character with average stats. His Special Shot is known as the Super Star Strike and his Special Dash is known as the Moonsault Dash.

[[File:Mario Paper.jpg|150px|thumb|Paper Mario starts with dotted eyes, a black cap rim, and visible legs]]

''[[Paper Mario]]'' follows Mario's attempt at rescuing Princess Peach and the [[Star Spirit]]s from Bowser. After imprisoning the Star Spirits in cards, Bowser, along with [[Kammy Koopa]], defeat Mario with the [[Star Rod (Paper Mario)|Star Rod]], forcing Mario to adventure and recover the Star Spirits. With [[Toad Town]] serving as the main hub for his travels, Mario travels to various locations and befriends partners that assist him in battle. During the events of this game, [[Toad Town News]] traces Mario as he tries to save the Star Spirits and posts news about his progress. Princess Peach also in the meantime tries to help Mario through sneaking in the castle and having [[Twink]] relay helpful items and information to him for the whereabouts on each Star Spirit.

{{redirect|The Great Gonzales|the character from [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]] sometimes called The Great Gonzales Jr.|[[Mini-Yoshi]]}}

[[File:PMTTYD Mario Jumping Artwork.png|thumb|left|Since ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'', Paper Mario has been simplified further, and this is the design used for the subsequent games (starting with ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'', a texture and a white outline was added to accentuate the paper material).]]

Peach invites Mario to [[Rogueport]] in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' to share a [[Crystal Star Map|treasure map]] leading to powerful artifacts called [[Crystal Stars]]. By the time Mario arrives, the [[X-Nauts (organization)|X-Nauts]] have kidnapped her. The X-Nauts need to use her as a vessel for the [[Shadow Queen]] so the leader of the X-Nauts, [[Sir Grodus]], can use her power to aid him in world domination.

Mario meets [[Professor Frankly]], who tells him the history of Rogueport and reveals the secret of [[the Thousand-Year Door]]. The Shadow Queen has once controlled Rogueport and trapped many of its citizens after Crystal Stars granted her power. The [[Four Legendary Heroes]] have used the power of the Crystal Stars against her and imprisoned her in the Thousand-Year Door for a millennium. After learning this story, Mario sets out to collect all seven Crystal Stars. Gaining many new partners and finding all Crystal Stars, Mario enters the Thousand-Year Door. There he finds Sir Grodus standing before the Shadow Queen's room. Mario defeats Sir Grodus but is then ambushed by Bowser and Kammy Koopa. This gives Grodus time to escape with Peach to the Shadow Queen's room. When Mario arrives, Grodus has awakened the Shadow Queen herself, taking control of Peach's body. Mario has to fight her possessed form, and using the help of the Rogueport citizens' wishes, Mario prevails.

In the [[Glitz Pit]], Mario and his partner's team is named "'''The Great Gonzales'''" (also known as the title '''The Merciless Executioner''') by [[Grubba]]. Additionally in the Glitz Pit, when Mario optionally returns to the Glitz Pit to fight [[Rawk Hawk]] a second time, someone in the crowd yells, "Jumpman! Wait. Who?" referencing Mario's alternate name in ''Donkey Kong'' arcade materials.

Mario can wear two badges that changes the colors of his clothes. The [[L Emblem]] makes him resemble Luigi and the [[W Emblem]] makes him resemble Wario, but when they are worn together, Mario resembles Waluigi.

In ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', Mario and Luigi sit in their house one day when they hear the news that Princess Peach has been kidnapped. The Mario Bros. rush to Bowser's Castle, thinking he has the princess, an assumption to be proven wrong. Later, a new antagonist named [[Count Bleck]] shows up and kidnaps Luigi and Bowser. It is also revealed that Count Bleck has Princess Peach, too.

Mario is transported to [[Flipside]], a town between dimensions. Mario later finds Bowser and Princess Peach, who decide to join Mario in his quest to stop Count Bleck. Mario must go through eight chapters to get eight [[Pure Hearts]], which can counter the Chaos Heart. Mario also encounters new enemies, such as [[O'Chunks]], [[Dimentio]], [[Mimi]], [[Nastasia]], and even his brother, Luigi, now called [[Mr. L]] because Nastasia, an assistant of Count Bleck, has brainwashed him (however, he joins Mario once he is freed by Dimentio and sent to [[the Underwhere]]).

In the fourth installment of the ''Paper Mario'' series, ''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]'', Mario, along with Princess Peach and many [[Toad (species)|Toads]], is celebrating Sticker Fest, a holiday where six [[Royal Sticker]]s ride in on a [[Sticker Comet|comet]] that allows wishes to come true. Bowser, however, takes the comet for himself, releasing its Royal Stickers to him and his minions. Mario attempts to jump on him, but his efforts fail and Mario is knocked out. Shortly after waking up, he meets a sticker guardian named [[Kersti]], and with her help, he saves some Toads hidden around the town and takes back the Royal Stickers. Mario then pursues Bowser by traveling through various worlds. Along the way, Mario must collect various stickers to aid him in defeating enemies and progress through levels.

After getting five of the six Royal Stickers, Mario is allowed to enter [[Bowser's Sky Castle]]. Bowser is defeated by Mario, and he gets the last Royal Sticker, but Kersti is destroyed in the process. He releases Peach, who thanks Mario for his efforts and allows him to make a wish on the Sticker Star. He wishes for the return of Kersti, and the Sticker Fest is saved.

''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]'', the fifth installment of the ''Paper Mario'' series, sends Mario, Peach, and Toad to [[Prism Island]], which got drained by its color. Here, Mario meets a paint can guardian named [[Huey]], and with his help, Mario saves the [[Big Paint Star]]s and restores color to the island by collecting them in each level while defeating enemies with his Paint Hammer and Battle Cards.

After getting all six Big Paint Stars, Mario is ready to face Bowser by entering Black Bowser's Castle, but he cannot walk up the rainbow road path. Luigi comes in with his kart, and the duo drives off to face Bowser. Mario and Huey defeat Bowser and paints Peach back, and she thanks Mario for his efforts. They leave the castle, but Huey decides to stay behind to drain the castle and sends the black paint far away. That night, a celebration is held for the return of all of the colors in Prism Island. Peach thanks Mario for everything and realizes that Huey will be all right after everything they have done.

In ''[[Paper Mario: The Origami King]]'', Mario (called '''Big M''' by [[Bob-omb (Paper Mario: The Origami King)|Bob-omb]]) and Luigi are invited into Toad Town by Peach to celebrate the Origami Festival. Mario quickly notices Peach's change of appearance and demeanor, the result of her being attacked by [[King Olly]], and is nearly turned into Origami himself before barely escaping the castle. It now falls on him to restore the Mushroom Kingdom with the help of numerous allies, including several of Bowser's minions and even Bowser himself.

[[File:Mario's Painting LM.png|thumb|upright=1.1|In strong contrast to his leading protagonist roles, Mario plays a recurring role as a key captive throughout the ''Luigi's Mansion'' series.]]

Mario is a captive in ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]''. After he arrives at the [[Luigi's Mansion (location)|mansion]] Luigi has won, King Boo and his minions trap him in a [[Mario's Painting|painting]] as revenge for defeating Boos in the past. Mario is first seen in-game at the [[Bottom of the Well]], when Luigi peers through the mouth of a lion statue and sees him in the [[Secret Altar]]. After Luigi captures King Boo with the Poltergust 3000, he recovers Mario's portrait and takes it to the [[Portrificationizer Chamber]] inside [[Professor Elvin Gadd's Lab]], where E. Gadd then sets Mario free from the painting by reversing his machine.

In ''[[Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon]]'', Mario is trapped again as a sketch in a painting . Mario is not directly referenced or seen until in [[Haunted Towers]], where Luigi sees the Boos holding an upside-down portrait of him. There, only his feet are showing. Later, King Boo reveals that he trapped him and engages Luigi in battle. After King Boo is defeated, Luigi frees Mario with his [[Dark-Light Device]], after which he, Mario, E. Gadd, several ghosts, and several Toads pose for a picture.

Mario in ''[[Luigi's Mansion 3]]'' is once again trapped in a painting with everyone else at the hotel (barring Luigi, who manages to escape from King Boo). Luigi manages to free Mario after he defeats [[Hellen Gravely]]. However, when King Boo is seen at the top of the hotel, he traps Mario again, this time in a single painting with Princess Peach, E. Gadd, and the three Toads. After Luigi defeats King Boo, Mario and everyone else are freed again and the game ends.

Mario has made only minor, albeit occasional, appearances in the [[WarioWare (series)|''WarioWare'' series]], being small cameos in some microgames. In ''[[WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!]]'', Mario is the "judge" in the microgame [[Ultra Machine]]. He and Bowser are also parodied in [[Classic Clash I]], [[Classic Clash II]], and [[Classic Clash|Classic Clash III]]. Mario also appears in the microgames [[Rock Paper Scissors]], in which the player must beat him in a game of the same name; [[Grow Wario Grow]], where [[Wario]] must grab the mushroom and not let it go to Mario; [[Wario Facial]] where parts of his face are shown, and [[Wario Bros.]] starting at Level 2, where Wario must grab the coin before Mario does. In ''[[WarioWare: Twisted!]]'', Wario must greet him in the microgame [[Burying the Hatchet]]. In ''[[WarioWare: Touched!]]'', he appears as a blackboard drawing in [[Jimmy T]]'s microgame [[Chalk Full]]. Mario also appears in [[Wario-Man]]'s microgame [[You Scratch Mine]], alongside Wario and even [[Toad]]. In [[Where's Wario]], he appears alongside [[Luigi]]. Mario also makes an appearance outside the microgames in [[Retro Action]], as a small figure, with Luigi, on [[9-Volt]]'s DJ set, who reacts accordingly to winning or losing a microgame. Mario frequently appears in 9-Volt's classic microgames, like [[Super Mario Brothers (WarioWare: Smooth Moves)|Super Mario Brothers]] and [[Super Mario Sunshine (microgame)|Super Mario Sunshine]]. In ''[[Game & Wario]]'', one of the microgames in the [[Gamer]] minigame, [[Sole Man]], involves Mario, in the third level of difficulty. Here, the player's character, dressed as a Goomba, must purposely be stomped by his foot, which is different from other difficulties where the player must avoid being stomped.

Mario and Luigi directly team up in the ''[[Mario & Luigi (series)|Mario & Luigi]]'' series. Throughout the series, the brothers embark on various adventures across the [[Mushroom Kingdom]] and beyond, often tasked with defeating threats not native to the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario is shown to be headstrong when given a task, eager to help those who asked for it, and usually drags Luigi along with him, be it by accident or by force, though he strongly supports Luigi. In terms of battle statistics, Mario, compared to Luigi, has higher power and speed stats but trails in his defense and HP.

 

[[File:MarioSSS.png|150px|thumb|Mario in the series has black irises, a black insignia, and a simpler face. There is a red tinge on his nose in the first installment, but this is absent in art of subsequent games.]]

In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'', [[Cackletta]] has arrived in disguise in the Mushroom Kingdom and has stolen Princess Peach's voice so she can take over the [[Beanbean Kingdom]]. Mario and Luigi (who goes on the adventure against his will), with Bowser's help, arrive in the Beanbean Kingdom, but [[Fawful]] causes them to crash-land in [[Stardust Fields]], beginning their adventure. Along the way, Mario and Luigi learn to help each other traverse the varied land through learning jumping techniques, acquiring hammers, and Mario's learning to shoot fire while Luigi's learning to shoot electricity. Some notable characters Mario and Luigi meet include but are not limited to [[Popple]], a brainwashed Bowser who calls himself Rookie, [[Prince Peasley]], [[Queen Bean]], the [[Hammerhead Bros.]], the [[Starshade Bros.]], [[Blablanadon]], and [[Professor Elvin Gadd|Professor E. Gadd]].

Mario has multiple abilities in this game, and they are learned as he and Luigi progress. If he is following Luigi, the brothers can use the [[Spin Jump (Mario & Luigi series)|Spin Jump]] to cross large gaps; Mario can also use [[Firebrand]] on Luigi to allow the two to move fast and either run past rolling spikes or knock down [[Ankoopa]]s. If Luigi hits Mario with a hammer, Mario can transform into Mini Mario that lets him enter small openings. Mario can also hold large amounts of water as [[Pump Mario]] as use for water projectiles, watering plants (if Luigi uses [[Thunderhand]] on him), and putting out fires.

In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'', after a mishap from using [[Prof. E. Gadd's time machine|E. Gadd's time machine]], causing time portals to spawn around Princess Peach's castle, Mario and Luigi set out to rescue Princess Peach, who is trapped back in time. There, they meet their baby counterparts, who team up with them for the rest of the game. Mario and company then go through more of these time holes, meeting many characters to help them along the way, including [[Kylie Koopa]], [[Toadbert]], [[Toadsworth the Younger]], and [[Elvin Gadd (past)|E. Gadd from the past]]. [[Stuffwell]] helps store their items and advise them during their adventure. They soon discover that the alien [[Shroob]]s, lead by [[Princess Shroob]], are planning to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, transform its residents to [[Shroob mushroom]]s, and harvest Vim to power their ships and try to stop them.

Unlike in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', Mario always leads Luigi, and this is the case for the rest of the series, even in the remakes. ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'' pairs Mario with Baby Mario, though Mario can separate from his baby self with the [[Baby Toss]]. During battle, if they are paired, Baby Mario assists Mario in standard attacks, helping him deal more damage. Mario takes damage for Baby Mario; if he is defeated, Baby Mario removes him from the battle. Mario and Luigi lack the hammer unlike in other games, so they cannot deal damage to spiked enemies without Baby Mario and Baby Luigi or without using a [[Bros. Item]] such as the [[Smash Egg]]. While they have the Spin Jump from ''Superstar Saga'', there are other new techniques Mario and Luigi can learn including the [[Bros. Ball]], which they can use to travel faster and flatten the Baby Bros. to [[Baby Cakes]].

In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'', a new disease called the [[blorbs]], which make Toads grow to a giant size, has affected the Mushroom Kindgom citizens. Mario and Luigi attend a meeting at Peach's Castle that is disrupted when Bowser barges in. Bowser then fights Mario and is defeated. Thrown to [[Dimble Wood]], Bowser receives a [[Vacuum Mushroom]] from [[Fawful]], which makes him inhale everything, including Mario, Luigi, [[Starlow]], the princess, Toadsworth, and several of the Toads. Fawful later kidnaps Peach so she can awaken the [[Dark Star]], to control the Mushroom Kingdom. Throughout the game, the heroes help Bowser in his trips, while they travel to various parts of his body and Mushroom Kingdom while trying to find the [[Star Cure]]s.

In the [[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey|3DS remake]], Mario makes a brief appearance in the new ''Bowser Jr.'s Journey'' mode, where he and Luigi pass by Bowser Jr., who tries a fight with them while in [[Bubble Lake]], but Starlow stops the fighting.

In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]'', Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, and the Toads are invited to a vacation at [[Pi'illo Island]] by [[Dr. Snoozemore]]. They also find Starlow there. Mario and Luigi follow Peach and Toadsworth when they end up ejected into the ruins and find a Pi'illo, which later turns out to be [[Prince Dreambert]]. They discover that Luigi can sleep and open [[Dream Portal]]s to the [[Dream World]]. [[Antasma]], however, kidnaps Princess Peach through a Dream Portal, which Mario promptly follows. In the Dream World, Mario meets Dreamy Luigi who assists Mario in the Dream World in both fights and the field. Prince Dreambert, when freed, explains to Mario and Luigi that Antasma is searching for the [[Dream Stone]]; he already has stolen the [[Dark Stone]] but is trapped in the Dream World. The story then revolves around Mario, Luigi, and Starlow trying to rescue Princess Peach and retrieve the Dream Stone to prevent Antasma (who teams up with Bowser) from using them for evil deeds.

Mario appears once again as one of the main protagonists in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]'', where he and Luigi team up with [[Paper Mario (character)|his paper counterpart]] after the [[Paper Mario (series)|''Paper Mario'']] universe was brought to their universe. The trio works together to save [[Princess Peach]] and [[Paper Peach|her paper counterpart]], who have been kidnapped by the two [[Bowser]]s. The gameplay is largely the same as the previous entries, although now there are also [[Papercraft]] battles that involve the trio operating giant cardboard battle units.

The ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' series revisits the old ''Donkey Kong'' series, pitting Mario against a misbehaving [[Donkey Kong]]. The original ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' game, released in 2004, gave Mario the same moveset as 1994's ''Donkey Kong'' for the Game Boy and introduced the windup toys known as [[Mini Mario (toy)|Mini Mario]]s. The Mini Marios replaced Mario as the playable character in the later subsequent games, ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis'', ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!]]'', ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!]]'', and ''[[Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move]]'', although Mario is still present in the storylines, as is [[Pauline]].

In ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong]]'', Mario's objective is to recover the stolen [[Mini Mario (toy)|Mini-Mario]]s from Donkey Kong. Mario has access to his moveset from ''Donkey Kong'' on the Game Boy, being able to perform [[handstand]]s and Wire Jumps. This is one of the few games where Mario speaks in full sentences.

[[File:Minismario.jpg|thumb|left|Mario and his Mini Mario team pursue DK to rescue Pauline.]]

''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis]]'' starts with Mario and Pauline cutting the premier ribbon of the [[Super Mini Mario World|Super Mini Mario World theme park]]. After Pauline takes a Mini Mario toy from Mario, Donkey Kong kidnaps her. Mario chases after Donkey Kong to rescue Pauline, but his path is blocked. Instead of Mario, the playable characters in this game and all following installments of the ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' series are the Mini Marios. They clear the way for Mario to get to Pauline. Mario and Pauline feel sorry for Donkey Kong, and the three celebrate the opening of the theme park.

''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!]]'' begins once again with Mario and Pauline opening an expansion to Super Mini Mario World, with numerous [[Toad (species)|Toads]] and Donkey Kong waiting to get in. However, as Donkey Kong reaches the ticket counter, he sees that tickets are sold out and, out of rage, kidnaps Pauline. Mario tries to save her, only to end up ripping off part of her dress, allowing DK to escape. Two Mini Marios then approach him, and Mario decides to use them to help save Pauline.

After much more toil, Mario once again enters the room, where he finds DK, Pauline, two Toads (one blue and one green), and two Mini Marios. As Mario is confused, Pauline reveals that the entire adventure was to test the Mini Mario product, and the group decides to celebrate.

In ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!]]'', Mario and Pauline are once again opening a theme park, but this time, he is giving away [[Mini Pauline]] toys to the first 100 guests. Donkey Kong, wanting a Mini Pauline, charges through the line to get to the front but finds out that he is visitor 101. When he learns from Mario that the toys are out of stock, he goes into yet another fit of rage, capturing Pauline. Mario once again must rely on his minis to help get Pauline back.

After much journeying, Mario defeats DK and tries to hug Pauline, but Donkey Kong captures her again, leaving Mario to chase after him again.

The Mini-Marios again play a major role in ''[[Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move]]''. Unlike the other ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' games, this game has little story and Mario makes only a minor appearance.

Mario appears once again in ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars]]''. Pauline is once again kidnapped by Donkey Kong, and Mario chases them down with his Mini Mario toys. Mario has to free cursed Mini Mario toys along the way. When Mario catches up to them, he finds out they have thrown him a surprise party. Mario continues on to the bonus worlds afterwards.

{{quote2|Mario Pinball Land!|Mario|[[Mario Pinball Land]]}}

In ''[[Mario Pinball Land]]'', Mario waits in line with Princess Peach to try the [[Sky Cannon]]. After two Goombas turn the cannon to fire Peach into [[Fiery Stage|Bowser's Castle]], he travels through the stages as a pinball to rescue her. Once Bowser is defeated, the two are reunited and ride an attraction together.

==''Yakuman DS''==

Mario appears in the Japanese-exclusive game of mahjong in ''[[Yakuman DS]]'' as a playable character or rival. He is a default character as usual in the ''Mario'' spinoffs. As a rival, he has normal difficulty and relies on a balanced playstyle.

In ''[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]'', Mario has to win in dance-offs to help save the Mushroom Kingdom from being controlled by the [[Music Key]]s. In the beginning, [[Waluigi]] goes to [[Truffle Towers]] to gain Music Keys and grant him the power to "hypnotize the rhythm-less masses." However, after he opens the door, all but one key fly to various locations in the Mushroom Kingdom. One of the Music Keys is found in the sea, another one in [[Wario's Carnival]], and another in [[Freeze Mountain]]. Toad, who sees this occur, rushes to tell Mario (or Luigi). If all keys are not returned, they can be exploited by anyone.

Mario responds by setting out to find all four Music Keys, along with Toad. Using the [[SS Brass]] to navigate, Mario challenges the key owners to dance-offs. After Mario wins the keys, however, Bowser steals them. Mario performs the "Final Dance Off" with him and gets the Music Keys back. Bowser reveals his intentions of stealing the keys: to help cure his tone-deafness. Mario and Toad decide to use the keys to change Bowser's Castle and the surrounding area into a paradise. From this, though, some music has been implemented into their souls, so they cannot stop dancing. These keys then are all returned to Truffle Towers.

In ''[[Mario Superstar Baseball]]'', Mario is a balanced character, although his running is only average in the first game. Mario's special ball is the classic [[Fireball]], which allows him to pitch or launch the ball at high speeds. Mario's abilities are very similar to Luigi's. His default team is called the Mario Sunshines in ''Mario Superstar Baseball'', and mostly consists of the non-playable characters from ''Super Mario Sunshine''.

Mario's special abilities include [[Wall Jump]], which can help him catch fly balls at the edge of the field, and an improved [[Sliding Catch]].

In ''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]'', Mario's team is called the Mario Fireballs, which consists of the Mario Bros., the baby Mario Bros., Piantas, Nokis, a Monty Mole, and a Blooper. Mario also had his batting and running skills improved, while his pitching and fielding remain the same. Mario's ability is Enlarge, which enables him to knock away third-base and home-base players and possibly the baseball if he succeeds a close play.

Mario, Luigi, and Peach, as with ''NBA Street V3'', make another playable guest appearance in the Nintendo GameCube version of ''[[SSX on Tour]]'', stemming from the same partnership with Nintendo and Electronic Arts. In ''SSX on Tour'', Mario snowboards in a mountain and performs various stunts to earn points.

Mario once again ends up in need of rescue during the events of ''[[Super Princess Peach]]''. Bowser sends an army of [[Hammer Bro]]s. (led by [[Army Hammer Bro]]) and [[Goomba]]s to invade Peach's Castle. Mario, Luigi, and the Toads, busy defending the castle, are overwhelmed by the [[Vibe Scepter]] and captured by a group of Hammer Bros. Princess Peach is not in the castle at the time and so escapes the attack. Mario and the others are taken to [[Vibe Island]], the source of the enemies' power; Mario is imprisoned in a dungeon of [[Bowser's Villa]]. After reading a note left by Bowser about having captured Mario, Peach, with Toadsworth's gift [[Perry]], decides to rescue Mario herself. Peach and Perry venture through various parts of the island, using emotional powers called [[Vibe]]s, to defeat Bowser's minions and rescue the Toads. After rescuing Luigi, Peach and Perry finally arrive at Bowser's Villa, where Mario is being held. Following Bowser's defeat, Peach and Perry free Mario, who then shares a joyful reunion with Peach and gives her a bunch of flowers. Following a successful rescue mission, Peach, Perry, Mario, Luigi, and the Toads return to the Mushroom Kingdom.

In the ''[[Mario Strikers (series)|Mario Strikers]]'' (or ''Mario Football'' in the PAL regions) series, Mario takes on a variation of yet another sport, soccer (or football), referred to in ''[[Mario Strikers: Battle League]]'' as "Strike". His stats are all-around in all three games: ''[[Super Mario Strikers]]'', ''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]'', and ''Mario Strikers: Battle League''. His [[Super Strike]] in ''Super Mario Strikers'' is the [[Super Strike#Mario - Fire Strike|Fire Strike]], while his [[Hyper Strike]] in ''Mario Strikers: Battle League'' is the Fire Cyclone. His Super Ability in ''Mario Strikers Charged'' is [[Super Mario!]] Unlike previous sports games, where Mario stayed in his usual traditional outfit, in the ''Mario Strikers'' series, he is seen wearing different gear, including different clothes and cleats. In the first two games, Mario's team number is 1 and his captain type is Balanced. However, in ''Battle League'', he is an all-around character with an emphasis on technique.

The children's book ''[[Mario and the Incredible Rescue]]'' has Mario teaming up with Luigi, Toad, and eventually Yoshi to rescue Princess Peach. In the events of the book, Bowser has amassed an army of ghosts (Boos) by stealing (and using) [[The Book of Spells]] from a sorceress named [[Cybele]]. Upon speaking with Cybele, Mario, Luigi, and Toad learn that to defeat Bowser and his army of ghosts, he has to collect six magic mushrooms that contain special powers. Eventually, Mario and his friends collect all six mushrooms, fight Bowser, and successfully rescue the princess.

In ''[[Mario Hoops 3-on-3]]'', Mario is a default character. His [[Special Shot]] is the [[Fire Shot]], which involves Mario dribbling the ball around him in the shape of an ''M'' and then either alley-ooping or dunking a flaming red basketball into the hoop. To execute this move, the player must tap the touchscreen in the shape of the letter ''M''. Mario is classified as a balanced character.